Random Beer Thoughts

[EvenMoreJesus]

The Wakefield stouts... We finished half a bottle with 5 people, couldn't handle the rest. It had the texture and flavor of Hershey's syrup.

Between them and Cycle, I have no idea what people are thinking.

 

[2plums4one]

You forgot the best part: when I was accused (by the fanboys, not by anyone from the brewery) of trying to intentionally hurt the trade values of the beer (seems like a weird thing to do given that I was a member of their bottle club, but ok) by sending a bad one to dontdrinkbeer. I actually hadn't tried the one I sent him, I picked it mainly because it was the only one I had more than one of. It was definitely very bad though.

Somehow I missed this. Link to the ddb review?

 

[JCastle1]

Between them and Cycle, I have no idea what people are thinking.

I've only had a couple but I like Cycle, their stouts are not syrupy and pretty well balanced (at least the non-adjunct ones). Are you thinking of Angry Chair?

 

[JCastle1]

Somehow I missed this. Link to the ddb review?

https://dontdrinkbeer.com/2018/03/2...ame-over-is-easily-top-10-worst-beer-of-2018/

 

[EvenMoreJesus]

I've only had a couple but I like Cycle, their stouts are not syrupy and pretty well balanced (at least the non-adjunct ones). Are you thinking of Angry Chair?

Maybe it just has to do with all the additives. I've never had anything from Angry Chair, but you can through Westbrook in there, too.

 

[2plums4one]

I will say that the raspberry vanilla bc beer they were pouring at sourfest a few years back was enjoyable. So far that has been

https://dontdrinkbeer.com/2018/03/2...ame-over-is-easily-top-10-worst-beer-of-2018/

many thanks!

 

[holldy01]

Maybe it just has to do with all the additives. I've never had anything from Angry Chair, but you can through Westbrook in there, too.

throw*

 

[EvenMoreJesus]

throw*

Thanks, bro.

 

[rrryanc]

The Wakefield stouts... We finished half a bottle with 5 people, couldn't handle the rest. It had the texture and flavor of Hershey's syrup.

This is where you grab a thing of ice cream and make a beer float.

 

[NClambicguy]

Somehow I missed this. Link to the ddb review?

Mind you that the guy that is trying to slam DDB about trying to kill trade value was offered a membership the next week. No ******* joke.

Edit: Damn, gaspar'd, kinda. At least this way you can read the facebook comments defending a terrible excuse for a beer.

 

[2plums4one]

yea I remember. I have a lot of buddies, or at least acquaintances, who were in that hype group for BC. The #hihaters drama was pretty good. As popular as sours have gotten, I still think the art of making a solid barrel aged sour successfully for more than a year or two is pretty rare. Seems every new brewery is trying to cut corners, or is failing at producing something like caseys oak theory even when they try. MAybe they see it as too risky from a business standpoint. Shame really. Are there any new breweries focusing on just sours and putting out a A+ product? Seems most are getting sidetracked with the NEIPA etc. profits along the way. the "we had to turn a profit to recoup costs our first three years" reason is being given a whole lot these days.

 

[MikeJones]

Are there any new breweries focusing on just sours and putting out a A+ product?

 

[NClambicguy]

yea I remember. I have a lot of buddies, or at least acquaintances, who were in that hype group for BC. The #hihaters drama was pretty good. As popular as sours have gotten, I still think the art of making a solid barrel aged sour successfully for more than a year or two is pretty rare. Seems every new brewery is trying to cut corners, or is failing at producing something like caseys oak theory even when they try. MAybe they see it as too risky from a business standpoint. Shame really. Are there any new breweries focusing on just sours and putting out a A+ product? Seems most are getting sidetracked with the NEIPA etc. profits along the way. the "we had to turn a profit to recoup costs our first three years" reason is being given a whole lot these days.

Floodland comes to mind. Speciation as well.

 

[sjstraub]

yea I remember. I have a lot of buddies, or at least acquaintances, who were in that hype group for BC. The #hihaters drama was pretty good. As popular as sours have gotten, I still think the art of making a solid barrel aged sour successfully for more than a year or two is pretty rare. Seems every new brewery is trying to cut corners, or is failing at producing something like caseys oak theory even when they try. MAybe they see it as too risky from a business standpoint. Shame really. Are there any new breweries focusing on just sours and putting out a A+ product? Seems most are getting sidetracked with the NEIPA etc. profits along the way. the "we had to turn a profit to recoup costs our first three years" reason is being given a whole lot these days.

Umm ... deGarde?

To a lesser degree Funk Factory.

 

[JulianB1]

Umm ... deGarde?

To a lesser degree Funk Factory.

I wouldn't call DeGarde "new" at this point. Funk Factory is maybe still young enough to fit that description.

 

[shanrath]

I wouldn't call DeGarde "new" at this point. Funk Factory is maybe still young enough to fit that description.

Fonta Flora? I've also loved everything I've tried from Cellador.

 

[NClambicguy]

Fonta Flora? I've also loved everything I've tried from Cellador.

Nah dog. They produce all kinds of styles from IPAs that have garbage in them that shouldn't be there to pilners with locally sourced other garbage that shouldn't be in the beer.

 

[2plums4one]

Umm ... deGarde?

To a lesser degree Funk Factory.

I didn't say they were the only ones. And as crazy as this may seem, most degarde beers are simply to acidic for me. I know I know. Still respect the crap out of them.

 

[2plums4one]

Nah dog. They produce all kinds of styles from IPAs that have garbage in them that shouldn't be there to pilners with locally sourced other garbage that shouldn't be in the beer.

not a fonta fan eh? I actually have enjoyed some of that stuff. They take a lot of chances and have failed a lot, but I can dig some of their new lagers, I dig all of their saisons, and almost all their tabel beers. In terms of a great base sour, I think they could do more for sure, but I like them overall and yes to a small extent they fall into the category I mentioned.

Haven't tried any floodland, I'll have to give them a shot. The last funk factory beer I had was almost undrinkable. Tooth enamel peeling to the fullest extent. I guess storage could have been an issue. I gave up after about 4 oz.

 

[jivex5k1]

RE: DDB tanking trade value for shitlords peddling wakefield.

Ha!

 

[NClambicguy]

not a fonta fan eh? I actually have enjoyed some of that stuff. They take a lot of chances and have failed a lot, but I can dig some of their new lagers, I dig all of their saisons, and almost all their tabel beers. In terms of a great base sour, I think they could do more for sure, but I like them overall and yes to a small extent they fall into the category I mentioned.

Haven't tried any floodland, I'll have to give them a shot. The last funk factory beer I had was almost undrinkable. Tooth enamel peeling to the fullest extent. I guess storage could have been an issue. I gave up after about 4 oz.

You asked about breweries focusing on just sour beers and fonta has never fit that bill. They had the urban monk beers (which were infected in the first release) and hop beard has long been in their rotation along with some lagers and brown ales.

I'm not a fan of the brewery, no. They have done some ****** things in the past regarding their handling of infection issues, their ticket "lottery" for the first Zwanze Day, and an overall smugness about local foraging. Even their initial membership was laughable in how they handled the grief they got when people wondered why they were charging $150 for 2 beers. Then it took them 18 months to release the member beers and made people re-up memberships before ever getting to try a member bottle. I usually try to give a brewery leniency for a couple of **** ups, but they kept on keeping on with theirs.

 

[2plums4one]

You asked about breweries focusing on just sour beers and fonta has never fit that bill. They had the urban monk beers (which were infected in the first release) and hop beard has long been in their rotation along with some lagers and brown ales.

I'm not a fan of the brewery, no. They have done some ****** things in the past regarding their handling of infection issues, their ticket "lottery" for the first Zwanze Day, and an overall smugness about local foraging. Even their initial membership was laughable in how they handled the grief they got when people wondered why they were charging $150 for 2 beers. Then it took them 18 months to release the member beers and made people re-up memberships before ever getting to try a member bottle. I usually try to give a brewery leniency for a couple of **** ups, but they kept on keeping on with theirs.

All very true. I was shut out of the first year of membership, and shut out of the first zwanze. Yes I can think of one very important employee of theirs I don't like as a person, yes they haven't handled infection issue(s) well. They've had a lot of their flagship sours go too acidic and acetic the past year as well, something I believe they are working on, as both Pit Pony and this past batch of funk fuzz were really good imo. That said, their base isn't all that interesting. If you take all the offerings from all NC breweries, I don't thin I can think of one I'd rather choose if I had to choose one. What about you?

 

[stupac2]

Floodland comes to mind. Speciation as well.

I've been a big fan of Speciation so far. That better keep up, because I've already got like 27 beers coming to me and 10 more months of this club membership to go!

 

[2plums4one]

overall it seems fonta has been focusing on distro and canned beers this past year, something Todd wrote an apology to the members about. It was pretty obvious this years member blends were kind of just thrown together. I wasn't a huge fan of any of them and thought the last batch of funk fuzz was leaps and bounds better than all of them. We will see.

 

[NClambicguy]

All very true. I was shut out of the first year of membership, and shut out of the first zwanze. Yes I can think of one very important employee of theirs I don't like as a person, yes they haven't handled infection issue(s) well. They've had a lot of their flagship sours go too acidic and acetic the past year as well, something I believe they are working on, as both Pit Pony and this past batch of funk fuzz were really good imo. That said, their base isn't all that interesting. If you take all the offerings from all NC breweries, I don't thin I can think of one I'd rather choose if I had to choose one. What about you?

Brewery bhavana is producing far better beers than Fonta has across the spectrum. Their hoppy beers, when fresh are far and away better. Their sours aren't even close. I get a weird pickle flavoring from most FF sours, especially ones with some age. BB's BBA stout and bw game has some work to do, but at least they aren't dropping infected stouts like FF did. I would also argue that burial is far and away a better producer across beer styles than FF.

All being said, I stopped buying FF beers after the Zwanze day "lottery" where every person that won was in the beer industry or close friends of the brewery. I know plenty of people that love FF but I don't put them anywhere near the top of NC breweries.

 

[2plums4one]

Brewery bhavana is producing far better beers than Fonta has across the spectrum. Their hoppy beers, when fresh are far and away better. Their sours aren't even close. I get a weird pickle flavoring from most FF sours, especially ones with some age. BB's BBA stout and bw game has some work to do, but at least they aren't dropping infected stouts like FF did. I would also argue that burial is far and away a better producer across beer styles than FF.

All being said, I stopped buying FF beers after the Zwanze day "lottery" where every person that won was in the beer industry or close friends of the brewery. I know plenty of people that love FF but I don't put them anywhere near the top of NC breweries.

Interesting, didn't the head brewer at BC say the same thing about ff beers? I know what happens when you age them so I drink them fresh lol. I don't know if pickle is the word I would choose, but there's something off.

I literally have had nothing from Brewery bhavana. Care to send me a package at cost+ship when it warms up? Or do they they send stuff to Charlotte?

 

[furley]

Brewery bhavana

there's an Indian restaurant here called Bhavan. got curious and googled the translation one day. it literally means "home".

i wonder if the added "a" in the brewery is like adding an "ie"... making them Homie Brewery.

 

[2plums4one]

Also disagree on burial. I think I've only had one beer from them that I would say is better than "average" and it was a wild. Waited in line for the first BA skillet release, what a letdown.

 

[holldy01]

there's an Indian restaurant here called Bhavan. got curious and googled the translation one day. it literally means "home".

i wonder if the added "a" in the brewery is like adding an "ie"... making them Homie Brewery.

A quick google says it means something like development or production. The brewery says it is Sanscrit for cultivating.

 

[NClambicguy]

Interesting, didn't the head brewer at BC say the same thing about ff beers? I know what happens when you age them so I drink them fresh lol. I don't know if pickle is the word I would choose, but there's something off.

I literally have had nothing from Brewery bhavana. Care to send me a package at cost+ship when it warms up? Or do they they send stuff to Charlotte?

Would be happy to do that for you. They have a crazy member program that is 24 barrel aged 750mL beers for $300. They haven't all been amazing, but their shelf beers are some of my favorites.

Also, what area of the state are you in? Charlotte?